While the New York Mets improved to 39-23 via Wednesday’s 6-1 victory at the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor suffered a broken pinky toe when he was hit by a pitch during the game’s first at-bat.
On Thursday, Lindor insisted he is “day-by-day” and won’t require a stint on the injured list.
“At one point of the game, I didn’t think it was broken because I didn’t feel any numbness or tingling that was going up my foot or up my leg,” Lindor said about staying in Wednesday’s win, as shared by Danny Abriano of SNY. “I thought it was just a regular hit-by-pitch. I don’t really bruise, and when I got to the X-ray and took off my sock, I saw there was a bruise there and knew something was going to be wrong. It’s not a surgical thing. It’s just a matter of tolerating the pain, so hopefully I’m strong enough to play sooner rather than later.”
Mets fans with decent memories couldn’t be blamed for immediately thinking about what happened to New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge back in June 2023. Those Yankees were 35-25 when Judge began missing games after he went down with a torn ligament in his big right toe that he suffered after he crashed through the Dodger Stadium right-field fence while completing a highlight-reel catch. The Bronx Bombers were 54-48 when Judge returned to the lineup, and they ultimately failed to reach the playoffs.
As for Lindor, ESPN stats show that the Mets’ unofficial captain began Thursday with a team-best 14 home runs on the season (tied with first baseman Pete Alonso). Lindor led the Mets at that time with 69 hits on the campaign, and he was second among qualified players with an .843 OPS and 36 RBI. Over his first 61 games, he slashed .279/.353/.490.
“Hopefully, I feel good enough to play sooner rather than later,” Lindor said ahead of Thursday’s game at the Dodgers. “We’ll see. We’ll take it day by day. I trust the trainers, I trust how they go about it and it will be an educated decision to play or not.”
History shows that a toe injury can linger and become a serious issue for an athlete who attempts to play through discomfort. Ideally for the Mets, stars such as Alonso and outfielder Juan Soto will perform well enough during the three-game series at the Colorado Rockies to allow Lindor to rest through at least this weekend.
